With off-site construction, homeowners can benefit from things like accelerated construction, controlled construction, construction without the elements, reduced construction waste, access to a skilled workforce, etc. So it’s no surprise that the prefab industry continues to expand — we’re tracking that! In fact, here are 22 built projects that we mentioned in the last year (with high hopes for several more next year, too):
The Passive House movement in the US was on a major tear in 2011 but for that awful split between PHIUS and international PHI. The standard seemed free of maneuvers and politics and infighting, yet now there’s something about PHIUS+ certification and a ban on spray polyurethane foam insulation. Oh boy! Notwithstanding all of this, let’s not take anything from the following incredible, high-performance, completed projects discussed in the past year that sought or achieved Passive House certification.
The biennial Solar Decathlon finished today and teams will begin the grunt work of taking their homes back or sending them off if the homes were acquired. As we’ve done in the past, here’s a short roundup of all 19 Solar Decathlon homes for 2011. The competition fosters the design, build, and operation of net-zero energy homes that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. Maryland won the entire competition, and Appalachian State was given the People’s Choice Award.
